Traction-engine.



PATENTED JULY 4, 1905.

J. H BEGKNER.

TRACTION ENGINE APPLICATION FILED we. 29 1904.

3 SHEETS-8HEET 1.

PATENTED JULY 4, 1905.

J. H. BEUKNER.

TRACTION ENGINE.

APPLICATION rum) we. 29. 1004.

No. 793,817. PATENTED JULY 4. 1905. J. H. REGENER- TRAGTION ENGINE.

1 1110111101: FILED AUG.29.1904.

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WW-macaw No. T933171 Patented July t, 1905.

aTENr OFFICE.

JAMES H. BECKNER, OF SEATTLE, Vi A5511 INGTON SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 793,81?, dated July t, 1905.

Application filed August 29, 1904. Serial No. 222,584.

To all whmn it may concern.-

Be it known that L JAMEs H. .Bnexnnn, a citizen of the United States, residing at Seattle, in the county of King and State of VVashin gton,have invented new and useful Improvements in 'lfractionEngines, of which the following is a specification.

My invention pertains to motorvehieles, more particularly motor-vehicles of the traction-engine type; and it has for its general object to provide a highly efficient tractionengine calculated to meet the requirements of varying conditions and adapted to be handled and guided with facility and with but a minimum amount of effort on the part of the attendant or attendants.

The invention will be fully understood from the following description and claims when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification,

Figure 1 is a plan view of the engine; Fig. 2, a side elevation of the same; Fig. 3, an enlarged detail section of the connection between the main frame and-the front axle; Fig. 4, a detail view of the front axle; Fig. 5, a detail section of one axle-lever and axle-box; Fig. 6, a diametrical section of one traction-wheel, and Fig. 7 a transverse section taken through the hub of the said wheel.

Eiimilar letters designate corresponding parts in all of the views of the drawings, referring to which- A is the main frame of the traction-engine constituting the present and preferred embodiment of my invention. The said main frame is provided with a raised forward portion a in order to enable the front wheels presently described to work under the same, but may otherwise be of any construction compatible with the purposes of my invention.

1% is the front axle of the engine. This front axle preferably comprises boxes l, having transverse openings 0 and also having outwardly-reaching arms (Z and lower and upper transversely-disposed loops 0 on their opposite sides, lower bar-sf, connecting the boxes and secured by belts or other means in the lower loops thereof, comparatively large upper bars g, connecting the boxes 7) and secured in the upper loops (2 thereof, levers 70, arranged to lap each other and extending through and fulcrumed in the boxes, so as to swing horizontally and terminating at their outer ends in spindles v and plates 7', carried at the rear sides of the boxes 7/. On the spindles vi are mounted front traveling wheels 11, and in order to hold the axle-levers true and also to hold lubricant the said lovers are provided with convex portions Z, which work in complementary cups m, arranged in the boxes 6. In virtue of the construction described it will be observed that the weight of the engine is centered on the shoulder of the axle-levers lt near the wheels Z: instead of on the center of the axle. This obviously facilitates guiding of the engine and enables the driver thereof to readily handle the engine with but a minimum amount of effort.

(1 U are braces slidably engaging the plates j on the boxes and hinged to the frame A and designed to hold the axle B against forward movement when the engine is backing and against rearward movement incident to the forward travel of the engine.

D is a plate secured on the upper bars r of axle B and having a semicircular socket a; E, a plate fixedly connected to the under side of the main frame and having a semicircular lug p disposed in and connected, through the medium of a pivot-pin r to the socket a, and r osprings interposed between the end portions of the plates D and E. In virtue of this construction it will be observed that the axle B is free to rock vertically in a transverse plane, so as to adapt either of the front wheels l to pass over uneven places or obstructions without cramping or straining the main frame A.

F F are bars pivotally connected to the inner ends of the axle-levers it and extending rearwardly therefrom.

G is a cross bar pivotally connected to the rear ends of the bars F; H, an upright shaft lixed to the cross-bar G at the center thereof and extending upwardly through a verticallydisposed boxing s in the main frame and having a loose handle-bar H at its upper end; I, a casing fixed to the main frame an d surrounding the portion of the shaft above said frame;

J, a ratchet on the upper end portion of the l shaft H; J, a pawl carried by the handle-bar H and arranged to engage the ratchet J, and K a fixed segmental rack arranged to be engaged by a detent K on the handle-bar H. In virtue of this construction it will be observed that the axle-levers it may be moved a considerable distance without the necessity of moving the handle-bar H a great distance, also that the handle-bar and the axle-levers may be readily fixed in the position desired. It will further be observed that the driver of the engine is enabled to lock and unlock the handle-bar2 (2., engage the detent with and disengage the detent from the segmental rack-*without taking his hand ofi of the handle-bar, and this with little or no effect on his part.

L is the rear axle of the engine. H M are traction-wheels mounted on the spindles of the said rear axle and having internal gears it; N N, counter-shafts journaled in suitable bearings on the main frame and having pinions 0: at their outer ends intermeshed with the internal gears 21; P P, slides keyed or feathered on the counter-shaft, so as to turn therewith and move longitudinally thereon; Q, Q, forked levers fulcrumed on the main frame and engaging circumferential grooves in the slides P; R R, hand-levers connected to the forked levers through the medium of links 2/; and bell-cranks :12; S, a crank-shaft journaled in suitable bearings in the main frame in position to be connected to the pistons of the engine presently described and bearing pinions y,- T T, spur-gears loosely mounted on the counter-shafts N and in mesh with the pinions 7 and having hubs 2 provided in their perimeters with pockets (4.

U U are disks fixed on the counter-shafts N and having pockets in their perimeters, V V dogs of angular form, fulcrumed in the pockets of the disks U and adapted to be thrown into and out of the pockets in the gearhubs- .2, and TY rings loosely mounted in circumferential grooves in the slides P and connected by links with the inner arms of the angular dogs.

By reason of the construction just described it will be observed that when either one of the hand-levers R is thrown in one di rection the dogV con'iplementary to said handlever will be placed in a pocket in the hub of one of the spur-gears T, and hence the said spur-gear will be fixed to its respective counter-shaft N, and the said counter-shaft will transmit motion to the traction-wheel H with which it is connected, while when the said hand-lever is thrown in the opposite direction the dog V will be disengaged from its complementary spur-gear T, and said spur-gear will turn loose on its counter-shaft, leaving the said counter-shaft and the traction-wheel connected therewith idle. From this it fol- I lows that at the will of the operator either one of the traction-wheels may be quickly and easily stopped with a view of facilitating the short turning of the engine, also that when the engine is on the straight course desired the said traction-wheel may as readily be again connected with the crank-shaft S.

In addition to the crank-shaft S and the counter-shafts N the main frame A bears a counter-shaft X. This latter counter-shaft is provided with a spool or windlass c and a band-pulley (Z and is also provided with large and small spur-gears e and f. These spur-gears are keyed or feathered on the shaft X, and hence may be adjusted laterally. From this it follows that the gear a may be engaged with and disengaged from a gear g on the crank-shaft S, and the gear f may likewise be engaged with and disengaged from a gear /t on the crank-shaft S, according to the speed at which it is desired to rotate the shaft X.

In addition to rims '24, which bear the internal gears 11, the traction-wheels M comprise laterally-disposed pockets '27 on the rims u, a hub made up of a body having longitudinal grooves in its inner side, a boxing I, having ribs fitting in said grooves, setscrews m, fixing the boxing in the body, spokes a, interposed and connecting the rim a and the hub-body, an auxiliary rim p, having lateral straps q, let into the pockts 1" on the rims u, and bolts 7', extending through and connecting the said straps q, the rim a, and the pockets 7". The auxiliary rims of the wheels are designed to increase the width of the tread of the wheels when the engine is to be used on soft or marshy ground, and when it is not necessary to employ the said auxiliary rims, as when the engine is traveling on a highway, they may be removed and stored away in a barn or other place for future use. The wheels M are secured on the spindles of the rear axle L by nuts, and they are provided at the outer ends of their hubs with caps is for excluding sand, dirt, and the like.

On the main frame A in front of the crankshaft S is located the boiler or steam-generator A, which per may be of any construction compatible with the purpose of my invention.

A* A are the working cylinders of the engine, which cylinders are arranged on the main frame adjacent to the sides thereof and contain pistons the rods of which are connected by pitmen B to the cranks of the shaft S, and C C are valves for controlling the passage of steam to and from the said working cylinders. The plugs of the two valves C* are rolled on their axes by the crank-shaft S through the medium of suitable valve-gearing, such as shown.

A" is a hot-water tank arranged on the forward raised portion of the main frame.

lil is a condensing-coil arranged on top of the hot-water tank and connected at one end thereto.

U is an exhaust-steam box arranged on the upper portion of the boiler-casing.

E 'is a pipe connecting the bottom of the exhaust-box and the opposite end of the condensing-coil with reference to that connected to the hot-water tank.

F" is a pipe leading from the top of the exhaust-box to the smoke-pipe of the boilercasing and designed to conduct a portion of the exhaust-steam to the latter, and G G are pipes leading from the caps of the valves 0'' to the opposite ends of the exhaust-box, as shown.

A. A are cold-water tanks arranged on the rear portion of the main frame A at opposite sides thereof and connected together by a pipe B, which extends under the frame. U" is a pipe connecting one of the said coldwater tanks and the hotwater tank, and D is a donkey steam-pump arranged on the main frame, preferably at the side of the hot-water tank, This donkey-pump may per se be of any suitable construction, and it is supplied with steam from the dome of the boiler through the valved pipe E and is connected by a pipe i having a non-return valve (i with the hot-water tank and is also connected by a pipe ll, having a non-return valve 1, with the hollow lire-box of the boiler or steamgenerator.

The pipes I) for supplying the valves U with steam merge into a single pipe B and this latter pipe, which communicates with the steam-dome of the boiler, is provided with a suitable throttle-valve C through the medium of which the driver of the engine is enabled to start and stop the same.

I have entered into a detailed description of the construction and relative arrangement of the parts embraced in the present and preferred embodiment of my invention in order to impart a full, clear, and exact understanding of the same. I do not desire, however, to be understood as confining myself to such specific construction and relative arrangement of parts, as such changes or modifications may be made in practice as fairly fall within the scope of my invention as claimed.

Having described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,

1. In a traction-engine, the combination of a main frame, a front axle connected to the main frame and comprising boxes having transversely-disposed openings, and also having transversely-disposed loops on their sides, transverse bars the end portions of which are arranged in said loops, set-screws bearing in the loops and engaging said bars, and levers fulcrumed in the transverse openings of the boxes so as to swing horizontally and terminating at their outer ends in spindles, wheels said spindles of the levers, means for adjusting said levers, a socket fixed on the bars of the axle and extending in the direction of the length thereof, a lug connected to the under side of the main frame and corresponding in shape to and disposed in the said socket, a pin pivotally connecting the socket and the lug, and springs arranged at opposite sides of the socket and lug and interposed between the axle and the main frame.

3. in a traction-engine, the combination of a main frame, a front axle connected to the main frame and comprising boxes lixedly connected together and having transverse openings, and levers fulcrumed in. said openings of the boxes so as to swing horizontally and terminating at their outer ends in spindles, wheels mounted on the said spindles, an upright casing fixed in the main frame, an upright shaft journaled in the said casing and having a T-head at its lower end, links connecting said T head and the axle-levers, a ratchet fixed on the shaft above the casing, a lever fulcrumed on the shaft above the casing, a detent carried by said lever and arranged to engage the ratchet, and means for adj ustably fixing the said lever.

t. In a traction-engine, the combination of a main frame having a raised forward portion, a front axle comprising boxes, bars lixedly connecting said boxes together, and levers fulcrumed in the boxes so as to swing horizontally and terminating at their outer ends in spindle-wheels mounted on the said spindles of the levers, an upright shaft journaled in the main frame and having a t-head at its lower end, links connecting said T-head and the axle-levers, a socket fixed on the bars of the axle and extending in the direction of the length thereof, a lug connected to the un' der side of the raised forward portion of the main frame and corresponding in shape to and disposed in the said socket, a pin pivotally connecting the socket and the lug, springs arranged at opposite sides of the socket and lug and interposed between the axle and the main frame, a rear axle connected to the rear portion of the main frame, wheels mounted on said axle, at opposite sides of the frame, and having internal gears, a drive-shaft journaled on the main frame and having gears, means for rotating said drive-shaft, counter-shafts journaled on the main frame and having pinions at their outer ends intermeshed with the internal gears of the rear wheels, gears loosely mounted on the counter shafts and intermeshed with the gears of the drive-shaft and.

and connections between the bifurcated levers I and the hand-levers.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JAMES H. BECKNER. Witnesses:

O. G. CHAMBERLAIN, C. R. THOMPSON. 

